Snowed in the Valley
by Teefa and Co
Summary: 20 years after Divine Sorceress, Kagetsu is finally returning to his childhood home. But when his daughter, Amber, goes missing, the girl is thrust into a battle against the Mihan Demons with her new friends and their Partners.
1. Kagetsu's Return

**Kagetsu's**** Return**

"Well, we've packed everything up," a now twenty year older Kagetsu stated, "The furniture is sold, since I did leave all of mine at my old house. I guess it's time to go." He looked back to the mountain cottage where he had spent the last twenty years of his life, following his self-imposed exile. The man was wearing clothing similar to his old garments, black shirt with brown on the bottom, black pants, and black shoes. His brown/black hair still flopped over the right side of his face, nearly over his right brown eye.

Next to him stood a woman of about forty, Kagetsu's age. She had short black hair and amber eyes. Her clothing consisted of a black shirt with an exposed bellybutton and sleeves that only covered the top of her arms, tied around the rest so they stayed. On her feet was a pair of black boots.

A fifteen year old girl stood a few feet away, looking sad. Like her mother, she had black hair and amber eyes. But the youth wore her hair long and in a ponytail. She had on a magenta dress, and a pair of black boots. It hurt her more than her parents to leave the cottage where she'd lived her whole life. But the ground was getting harder and harder every year, and it was difficult to feed a family of three. So they had decided to move to the valley where Kagetsu grew up, into the same house in fact. The man had always known he'd come home someday, so he'd never sold it. However, the girl wasn't excited to see it at all.

Her name was Amber, and she was a Neutralizer in training. It was said, that when she was born, her father took one look at her eyes, and decided on that name. Amber was a vibrant young woman, full of energy. She enjoyed nothing more than helping her friends out when they needed it. It wasn't as if it would be hard for her to make new ones with a personality like that, it was that she'd miss her old ones a lot.

"You shouldn't worry. You can always write to them, and they can write back," her mother, Sophie, had told her when the move was announced. That hadn't comforted the girl a bit, she was a sensitive child. In fact, she'd run off and hid out with her childhood friend Robyn for the next few hours. When her father found her, he was really worried, but understanding. It had hurt him to move too, but he knew he had to.

Alan, the panther that served as Sophie's Partner, informed them, "We should probably get going soon; I feel a storm is approaching the area we are heading to. Last thing we need is to be caught up in it. Besides, I think it would be best if we get Amber used to her new surroundings a little more before you run into someone you know." Alan was the voice of reason in any situation, much like Japolo only not critical of Sophie's performance. He let her do as she pleased, she was the Magic User after all, only advised on the tactical aspect of battle. And he never complained either. So his advice was usually sought in a crisis.

. . .

The four then set out for the valley. Since Alan was so large, Amber could still ride on his back to keep up with her parents. The journey took a full six hours to complete. By the time they had arrived in the valley, it was mid-afternoon. By the snowstorm that Alan predicted was ripping through the area, winds blew flakes at them with the force of a slap on the face, and it was dark. Sophie was using her powers to create light, she had a knack for that talent, and Alan had brought up a shield to deal with the force of the blows.

Kagetsu looked to his frightened daughter. "Amber, keep a firm hold on Alan with your legs. I don't want you to get lost in this weather." He looked at her the way he used to look at Sara when she was ill or in pain. The man couldn't do anything when his sister needed him, could now only resort to speaking with her through a painting with the guards watching his every move. He wouldn't fail his only child as well.

But suddenly, the light spell that Sophie had cast went out. She tried to cast another, but found that something was interfering with her powers. Unbeknownst to Alan or Amber, Sophie had stopped in her tracks until she could find out what was wrong, and Kagetsu had put his arm around her to brace her. So as he continued walking towards the direction he was sure the house was in, he took the girl away from her parents. It wasn't until Amber asked her mother how much longer they had to go that she realized it.

"What are we going to do?" inquired the frantic teenager, "Alan, we have no way of knowing which way to go in this dark, we're lost from mom and dad, and the snow is getting heavier. I wanna go back to the mountains. What else can go wrong today?" As if on cue, a low growl was heard from the bushes. Out came a Ryukami, a wolf with the wings of a dragon. Since the Mihan Demons had never come into the mountains by where Kagetsu lived, due to the proximity to the Throne of Yord, she'd never seen one before.

"This creature, I can feel it's evil intentions. A mindless beast of destruction. Blast it, without my Princess I can't unleash my full powers. In such a situation, flight might be better than fight," Alan stated. He prepared to run, to get the girl to safety. But the Ryukami attacked first, knocking them to the ground. Amber fell of Alan's back, and hit her head. She wasn't out cold, but she was feeling a little bit dazed.

The beast prepared to move in for the kill. Amber wished she had the power to destroy it, but she wasn't fully trained yet as a Neutralizer. Besides, the only power she could steal was Alan's and Amber was very sensitive towards her mother's Partner. He'd been the first and only one Sophie had ever called upon. But somehow, Alan still had memories of his old life, when that shouldn't happen. He had been the leader of a small community of beastmen in his own world. Alan had a young daughter, and his wife was pregnant with another. Sadly, that never happened, for humans who feared his kind came to slaughter them. Alan watched his wife be killed by a pike in her chest, and his daughter raped and slain with a knife. Finally, he was cut down. As Alan lay dying, a voice called to him. Then, he woke up as a real panther instead of a beastman with a panther's shape. It was in that moment that he became Sophie's Partner.

Suddenly, Amber heard a woman's voice call out, "I Teefa gather those entities subject to me from the Shadow Realm. Lend me your power, and let me have victory!" A large Shadowy Creature, in the form of a tiger came rushing at the Mihan Demon. The beast let out a cry, and was instantly destroyed by it.

A girl of fifteen came running up to her. Her hair and eyes were both brown. She had on a long sleeved red shirt and yellow pants held by a leather belt. A pair of long leather boots was on her feet, and leather gloves adorned her hands and arms. Around her shoulders lay a white cape, and a black headband was on her forehead. Her concerned look was the last thing Amber saw before she passed out in the snow.

- - - -

**Teefa's**** Last Words…**

I'm sure everyone knows who the girl is, after all this is a darn sequel. Well, I'll tell you more about the character names in the next chapter when everyone is introduced. But Teefa is from my first RPG obsession; hence my e-mail address and penname.


	2. Youth Alliance

**Youth ****Alliance******

"By the Throne of Yord!" exclaimed Amber as she woke up, "Where am I?" She found herself in a bedroom of someone's house, lying on the bed. A bandage was wrapped around her forehead, as well as her right arm. Alan lay on a rug nearby, his wounded side patched up as well. It all looked so homely to her. But where was she? Was what happened in the snowstorm only a figment of her imagination?

"Well, you're at my house. My Partner, best friend, her Partner, and my kid brother carried you here after you lost consciousness. My name is Teefa, what's yours?" inquired a familiar voice. In came the girl Amber had seen before she'd passed out. But she wasn't alone this time, others had come along too.

Next to the girl named Teefa was a man of about the same age. He had brown hair and blue eyes. His long tunic style shirt was blue, while his pants were white. Short leather boots were on his feet, and a leather belt was around his waist. Hanging from that belt was, of all things, some sort of long sword.

A purple haired girl of about fifteen was off to the left of Teefa. She had blue eyes, and looked like she was mad about something. From the movement of her lips, Amber was a good lip reader; it appeared as if she was angry that Teefa had killed the Demon when she wanted to do it. Amber had seen that type, always ready for a fight. The girl had on a white sleeveless dress, black shoes, and a heavy coat.

The man next to her was fifteen and had bright red hair and blue eyes. Like the other man, he had on a tunic style shirt, this one in gray. His pants were deep blue, held up by a leather belt, and he had on leather boots as well. Also, like the other man, he carried a sword. But this one was shorter and broader than the one the first man carried around. Amber wondered what was up with these people and swords.

The final human in the room was a thirteen year old boy with long white hair and green eyes. He had on a blue shirt, and white pants, like the first man. But this shirt wasn't in the style of a tunic, and it had black stripes around the shoulders, around the neck, bordering the bottom, and at the end of the sleeves, which ended in a diagonal slip. Leather gloves covered his arms up until the sleeves, and he also had on black shoes. From the look of him, he appeared to be a timid boy, standing behind Teefa's back.

Another creature was in the room with them. It was a small white tiger, with yellow stripes instead of the regular black. Also, a mane of hair much like that of a horse covered its head and neck. Amber had a guess that it was the Partner of the boy; there was power in the creature. But he was awfully young.

She told her rescuers, "My name is Amber, a Neutralizer in training. We were moving to the valley, me and my parents as well as mom's Partner, when the storm hit. Alan and I got separated from my mom and dad. Then that monster attacked, and you know the rest. So, what is everyone else here called?"

The brown haired boy was Rooks, Teefa's Partner. They called the girl with purple hair Lufia, she was the best friend. Max, the red headed boy, was Lufia's Partner. Teefa's brother, the white haired boy, was Donnie. Finally, the tiger was Sky, and she was an enigma. Teefa had finished summoning her Partner about a year ago, and Rooks had responded immediately, when suddenly something lit up the air in the room. Then, the dimension opened again, and Sky fell into their world. Never in the history of the whole world had a Magic User summoned two Partners at once. They couldn't even have two at the same time unless they took the test to become Divine Sorceress. The Elder was stumped, but let it go at that.

Teefa looked at Amber. "So, you were living in the mountains before. My mom has a friend up there, but she hasn't seen him in awhile. I never met him. But I do know that the Mihan Demons have never come to that area, so it's not surprising that you were taken off guard by the attack. They are a difficult foe when you do know what you're doing. Imagine them when you have no idea they even exist at all."

"You call them Mihan Demons," Amber replied, "My father used to live in the valley as a boy, we are moving into his old house, but he never spoke of them. So why in the world are they just appearing now?"

Teefa then told Amber the tale of the Mihan, how they had vied to destroy the world for countless millennia now. The greatest danger ended with the Supreme Commander's death at the hands of her mom twenty years ago. Lacking leadership, the Mihan were now blindly attacking the Guardian World. Thus, the job of the Magic Users was to now eliminate any that they found. Both hers and Lufia's parents were in the corps that defended the people of the valley area. However, even non coalition members were helping.

"We, that is me and Lufia, have formed the Youth Alliance. The two of us and our Partners go around, trying to kill the Mihan as well. After all, the national guard isn't full proof. They don't let anyone under the age of eighteen join, since they sometimes go on deadly hunts, so we've went off on our own. Mom can go kill the ones holed up in an area making trouble, we'll pick of stragglers," Teefa told her.

Donnie exclaimed, "Hey! Teefa, what about me? I'm a magic user too. I can fight the Mihan. You are not the queen of the world. So why wasn't I mentioned when you spoke about your little Youth Corps?"

Teefa looked to him. "What about you? You have little control over your own magic, and your spells go out of control or don't activate. Besides, you can't even summon power from the Earth or Water Orbs. We only discovered them six months ago, in that cave. Lufia mastered Fire and I gained control of Lightning by the end of the day. It's not that difficult, yet you can't do it. Donnie, you are still an apprentice to me. When you can master an Orb, and cast spells without difficulty, you'll be a full member of the corp."

Lufia explained that the four Elemental Orbs were a treasure they'd discovered on the first mission of the Youth Alliance. There was the Staff of Lightning, Wand of Fire, Sword of Earth, and Spear of Water. Long ago, they were sealed into the gems that adorned their handles. She and Teefa quickly gained control of one, learning to turn it into the weapon locked inside. But none seemed to react to Donnie in any way.

At that moment, movement was heard coming up the stairs. "Teefa, is the girl feeling any better? I hear you and Donnie arguing, so that must mean that she's ok enough for you to bother her with it." Up came a woman with orange/blond hair worn in two ponytails that stuck out on the side of her head. Her eyes were green, and she had on a warm robe over her nightshirt. Amber began staring, this was the girl. This was the same woman whom her father had said was the one he had loved when he was a young man.

- - - -

**Teefa's**** Last Words…**

Kind of funny that Lena's daughter's the pyro, right? Well, let's just say the era they now live in plus spending a lot of time hanging with Teefa, had an effect on her. Ok, most of these names are connected in some way. And just so you know, I've been playing RPGs since I was a small child; hence old game references. You will find spoilers for the games in there; but I highly doubt anyone who wants to play them hasn't done so already since they are SNES era.

Teefa is the name of a Princess in the game Arcana (Japanese name Card Master: the Seal of Rimsala). She was under an evil spell and controlled by the main villain; the same man who murdered her father. And she's a kick ass sorceress to boot. Rooks is the name of Arcana's hero. It is him and Teefa's former bodyguard, an elf named Darwin who free her from the spell in Chapter 4, allowing her to come back to help in Chapter 5. He's a swordsman who uses the power of the four spirits (one at a time aids you in combat), as well as magical cards.

Lufia is the name of the heroine of Lufia & the Fortress of Doom (Japanese name Estopolis, which makes more sense since she isn't around for the 2nd game prequel, 3rd game sequel, and sidestory prequel). She is in fact the first true human incarnation of the Sinistrael of Death; Erim (her first incarnation was Iris, but she was more of a disguise to walk among humans than a physical form like Lufia & later on Seena). Her powers of sorcery were the best in game, but vanished once she sacrificed her life to kill Erim and then was brought back as a normal human being. Max is simply my name for the nameless hero in Lufia & the Fortress of Doom. He's her childhood best friend and a swordsman who is descended of the famous heroes Maxim & Selan; who died saving the world the first time the Sinistraels appear.

Amber, as I said earlier, is named for her eyes. Donnie is supposed to be like Darwin from Arcana. That's because when I was a kid and only saw part of the game since mom and dad played while I slept, I thought Darwin was her and Salah's brother.

Sky is short for Skysplitter. She's an original Digimon called a Toranmon (the n is silent) who was created for a Digimon parody of Arcana. I liked the character so much that I brought her back as part of my wacko world on my website, and now as a character in this fic.


	3. Mission Time

**Mission**** Time**

"Hello," the young Neutralizer said, "My name is Amber. I've just moved here, and was separated from my parents." She wasn't yet ready to tell Teefa's mom about her father, what if she had the wrong girl? And what if she was the right woman, yet she was mad at Kagetsu for leaving her for another? There were just too many things that could go wrong, so Amber kept her mouth shut. Hopefully, she could get help.

"This snow, it isn't natural. I have a feeling the Mihan Demons have something to do with it," stated a small voice from behind Teefa's mother. Up on her shoulder, Amber noticed a small ferret with a black collar that had a red jewel imbedded in its center. This made Amber surer that she DID have the right woman since her father had said Tiara's Partner was a small ferret with a large intellect and sharp tongue.

The woman replied, "You worry too much Japolo. The Mihan can't think their way out of a wet paper bag without their general. They're nothing but wild beasts. And even if it is their doing, we can always take them out later." She turned back to Amber. "Sorry about that, my Partner doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut. My name is Tiara, Teefa and Donnie's mother. This is Japolo, my second Partner. My first is downstairs, waiting for me to return so we can start the meeting. Our unit needs to know how to deal with the Mihan in the middle of a blizzard. They can hide better in these conditions. If you want, I'll have my friend Lena bring you some nice chicken noodle soup, that should help you feel better fast." Then, Tiara turned back towards the stairs, and headed to the meeting she was having with Lena, Leon, and Graham.

"I don't get it," began Amber, "A person can't have two Partners. The only reason Teefa said she does is a strange occurrence during her ceremony. So why does your mother also have two? If she had encountered the same problem as her daughter, the Elder would have more knowledge as to what it was."

"Mom is what they call a Divine Sorceress. Long ago, a grief stricken woman learned how to walk in the Land of the Dead to revive her Partner. Since she had a second already, she gained new powers as well. The three could merge together and form an extremely powerful creature, and her strength had risen. It became a position in order to deal with the Mihan. Mother was to be the successor to Lady Sienna, she had to retrieve her first Partner who died, but then she killed the general. So she can stay a mortal, and still have her Partner back. Lucky thing too, because he's Donnie's and my father," Teefa informed the girl.

Alan, who had just awaken, stated, "I have heard of such rumors, how a woman can retrieve her dead Partner. But I thought they were all rumors. My Lady is a potent psychic and manipulator of defensive barriers. She has little abilities in front line combat. Sophie doesn't even have a Shadow to transform into."

Teefa looked at the rugged beast, and could see his injuries were beginning to heal. "So, Amber, how about the Youth Alliance helps you look for your parents? If you want, you can even try your hand at one of the Orbs. Master it, and become a member of our team. It might be handy to have a Neutralizer on hand, in case things get hairy. You can always try to steal the magic from our enemies, leaving them open to one of Donnie's special skills." She gestured to her brother, as if telling him to show the lady right away.

"Ok Teefa," Donnie softly said, "But I hope I don't scare her." He then proceeded to turn his right arm into fleshy ropes; just like his father, Graham. They tangled around one of the poles in the back of the room that he used for target practice. Since his magic often went out of control, or refused to activate, he had to rely on his physical talents. He found out he had his father's strange deformity at the age of five, when Teefa asked him if he would help her reach her doll. She had wanted to simply lift him up on top of her shoulders, being a strong girl and all, so he could reach it, but this happened instead. Initially, the boy had been afraid of what he had done, but his father had informed him of how special the talent of his really was.

"That's so cool! You can really attack like that? Wow, with such power, I wouldn't think you would need magic to get by. So even if you have troubles all your life with your spells, I know you can make something of yourself with that arm," Amber exclaimed. She'd never seen something like that in her life.

Donnie was amazed, he was afraid she'd shy away. The only people who knew about this skill were his parents, Teefa, Rooks, Lufia, Max, Sky, and Lufia's parents. Such a deformity could very well make people fear him, and a timid boy like Donnie didn't want others to be afraid. His own cowardice and shyness made it hard to make friends as it was, so imagine him now having to deal with a strange physical ability that caused a deformity in his arm? So, he never told another soul about what he could accomplish.

Amber then told Teefa, "Count me in! I'm not a fully trained Neutralizer, and I'm not even sure you can Neutralize those beasts, but I'll do my best. Maybe, if I master an Orb, I can help you all out in combat too. And I know we can find my parents, we just have to work together and believe in our own abilities."

. . .

Which was how four Guardian World Natives, two Summoned Partners who looked human, a Partner who was a panther, and an enigma who appeared to be a Partner all ended up on putting on their warmest clothing—well Alan and Sky didn't need any, and Amber had to borrow a coat of Teefa's—and heading back out into the blizzard. The goal: To locate Amber's parents, and reunite their family.

Amber was holding the Water Orb, trying to get the feel of it. If they had to go into battle, Teefa had said that she'd teach the girl. Lufia muttered that she wished Teefa wouldn't act like a queen, but didn't say it out loud. After all, they were best friends, and Teefa was the better planner of the two. A pyro like Lufia tended to rush right in and use all her might. She wouldn't make half as good a teacher for Amber, so she just left it at that. Now, all that remained was to run into some Mihan Demons. Then they could begin.

As luck would have it, a small band of the Ryukami showed up right at that moment. Teefa walked out towards the front, holding up the Lightning Orb. "Feel the chant in your heart Amber, then you can transform the Orb into its true form. It will go something like this…Energy of Lightning and Sacred Orb! Fuse to become one. Grant me your power, your energy, to aid in my battle. Inazuma!" With that, the orb began to glow. It suddenly began to grow longer and thinner, until it was a cylinder. Then, it grew longer still, finally stopping when it was nearly as tall as Teefa herself. She held the staff in her hand, with the yellow orb on top.

- - - -

**Teefa's**** Last Words…**

The next few chapters should introduce the characters' attacks and such. Like Teefa's Orb Transformation. Just so you know, all of the names of the attacks mean something in Japanese cuz I'm too lazy to think of made up fantasy words to use instead. But they always have something to do with the attack.

**Inazuma****:** Lightning


	4. Amber's First Battle

**Amber's First ****Battle******

Amber looked ahead at the Ryukami. It was barring its fangs, ready to kill the youths in front of it. She refused to yield to another one of those beasts. Suddenly, the girl Neutralizer felt a strange force that was growing inside of her. The words just seemed to come from there. "Energy of Water and Sacred Orb! Give your power unto me. Pierce my enemies with your newfound blade. Mizu!" The Water Orb began to expand much like Teefa's Lightning Orb. It formed a long cylinder shape, and then a spearhead was formed at the top. For that was what was locked inside the Water Orb, a spear. Amber swung it around in an arc, and the blue orb imbedded in the metal blade flashed when a small stream of light hit it in the right spot.

"Great Amber," Lufia called out, "But now it's my turn. Energy of Fire and Sacred Orb! Combine your powers. Infuse me with your energy, and lend me your soul. Takisukeru!" Her Fire Orb began to expand as well. Soon, it was also cylinder in shape, but much shorter. The red gem was now on top of it, it had become a magic wand. Now, by calling out the final word in their chant, the girls could unleash a small stream of elemental energy on top of the enemy. The three held their weapons out in a threatening pose.

"Great, left behind again," muttered Donnie. He held the Earth Orb, and tried his best to make a sword out of it. But it still didn't respond. His inattentiveness almost caused him to be slashed to pieces by a Ryukami's claw. Luckily, Teefa saw her brother's plight at the last moment. With a cry of "Inazuma" she was able to attack the Mihan Demon with Lightning. It sprang at her, and Rooks killed it with his sword.

Lufia yelled, "Ok now babies, taste my flames. Takitsukeru! Takisukeru! Takisukeru! Takusukeru!" She aimed blast after blast of fire at her opponents, burning them badly. But the Elements are unable to kill in a single hit, well at least something a strong as a Mihan Demon, so Max was trying his best to keep up with her and take out what she weakened. That was a strategy the two Princesses and their Partners used often. Lufia enjoyed this part of it more than anything else. She really did enjoy anything that involved fire.

Amber had no intent at using her Water Elemental powers. Instead, she was thrusting her spear at any Mihan Demon who came close. Also, she would swing it in arcs and circles if they tried to gang up on her. There was no way she would get herself wounded by the same demon that nearly took her life before.

Suddenly, there was a small rumble heard. Then, a large Ryami appeared. Although not at the level of needing a Divine Sorceress and Ultima, Ryami's were very tough. The Youth Alliance had never encountered one before. Donnie panicked, and unleashed his whip arm at the beast. But that did little to phase it, only make it madder. The Ryami's eyes glowed red, and it began to advance on the young boy.

Amber panicked, she didn't want to see her new friend hurt. "Kurai no Kage!" With those words, a large shadow appeared out of the ground. It looked like a giant gorilla, over six feet tall. But even that was no match for a Ryami, and soon the Shadow Creature that Amber controlled was beaten back into the earth.

"Twisted Shadows, appear before me," chanted Lufia, "I, Lufia, command you. Appear before me and fulfill your duty!" Her Shadow Creature appeared at that moment. Unlike Teefa's golden tiger with black stripes, the one that saved her earlier, Amber could see that Lufia had a silver tiger with dark brown stripes.

The Silver Tiger rushed at the Ryami. While Amber was paying attention to Lufia, she failed to notice Teefa had summoned her Gold Tiger to aid Donnie as well. Both Shadow Creatures struck out at their chosen enemy. But even the might of two was unable to stand against such a powerful demon as that.

"No choice, we have to transform. Rooks, I want you to keep Sky back, she'll just get in the way," Teefa ordered. She looked angrily at the slow moving Ryami. It was only moving at this speed so it could have more pleasure out of its kill. To go fast would just suck all of the anticipation and fun out of it all.

Rooks replied, "As good as done, my Lady." He gripped Sky by the scruff of her neck, so she wouldn't try to help Teefa out. She could sometimes be a little hot headed, perhaps because of the fire and wind that made up lightning was working together inside of her to rush into things and be a real bubble head.

Lufia looked to her Partner. "Max, protect Amber. We can't worry about her and save Donnie too."

"Yes, Lufia. No harm will come to her by my Sword," the boy answered. He walked over to where Amber was sitting on the ground, and stood next to her. But his well trained eyes were darting around, in case a Mihan Demon tried to sneak up on the warriors. Then, they would get the sharp edge of his blade.

Teefa began, "I, Teefa, call upon you, oh beast of power. Let your form become mine, to destroy our enemies. Tsubasa no Tora!" With that, a large bolt of lightning suddenly came out of the sky and struck Teefa. Amber shrieked, that could kill a person. But suddenly, the lightning cleared and revealed Teefa in a new form. She was a humanoid tiger with yellow fur and black stripes. Her hair and eyes had not changed, but she now had silver wings on her back. A ruby breastplate covered her white shirt, and she had on gray pants. Long yellow boots with the toes cut out—to accommodate her claws—were on her feet, steel guards on her knees. A white cape covered her shoulders and reached down to her feet, and she had on white fingerless gloves. On her head was a white hat with a red feather stuck inside the front of it, and what seemed to be a pink and red raccoon tail on back. Finally, there was a white belt in the same material as the gloves and cape, with more of the material draping down from the front, back, and sides of the belt.

Lufia looked ahead at her enemies. "Beast of Strength, let us find the power. Your form and mine will join to destroy our enemies. Tora no Kobushi!" Fire raged around the young girl. When it cleared, she too was a humanoid tiger with yellow fur and black stripes. Like Teefa, her hair and eyes hadn't changed. She now had on a long blue dress with short sleeves, and a high cut sleeveless red undershirt. Her black shoes were also toeless, since the girl had claws on her feet. Now, they were ready to battle the Mihan.

- - - -

**Teefa's**** Last Words…**

I know there are a lot of powers in this chapter. Well, I felt explaining them in real time battle would be good. The two transformations are based off of Breath of Fire clans. Teefa is half Woren (tigerman), and half Winged Clan. Lufia is fully Woren. On my website, I have a bunch of RPG characters as Breath of Fire Clans for some of my fun in-site humor & to host certain things. And the reason Donnie hasn't done the smart thing and run for his life is that he's scared stiff. Like a deer in headlights.

**Mizu****:** cold water

**Takitsukeru****:** ignite

**Kurai**** no Kage:** shadow of darkness, darkness shadow

**Tsubasa**** no Tora:** tiger of wing, wing tiger

**Tora**** no Kobushi:** fist of tiger, tiger fist


	5. The Transforming Partner

**The Transforming Partner**

The Ryami turned to face the girls, its fangs dripping with its saliva. Donnie took that opportunity to grab the beast with his whip arm, since it was now occupied with his sister and Lufia. As the Ryami began to thrash about, Teefa and Lufia flew towards the monster. With the words "Inazuma" and "Takitsukeru", the powers of lightning and fire burned the Mihan Demon. But the Ryami wasn't dead, it only became madder.

"Miss Teefa!" called Rooks, "Look out!" For the Ryami had finally broken free of Donnie, and began to charge towards its new prey. Teefa, having the wings, grabbed her best friend and flew the two of them up into the air. The Ryami ran past where they were, and hit its head in a thick trunked tree. Amber giggled as it struggled to break free. When it finally did, a good portion of the trunk was ringed around its big neck.

Max and Rooks drew their swords. As their Princesses hovered above, they ran at the Ryami, and struck out at the vulnerable spot under its jaw. But the monster simply used the tree trunk as a shield, and the attack only broke the trap. Rooks then picked up a yellow card with the picture of a fairy on it, and threw it up into the air. Suddenly, lightning rained down on top of the Ryami. The Mihan Demon was down, but not out yet. It brought up its large claws, and struck down Rooks, Max, and Donnie for good measure.

"You Demon! Now you've got me mad!" screamed Lufia. She wriggled out of Teefa's grasp, and landed on her feet in front of Amber. Using the claws her tiger body had given her, she tried for the same vulnerable spot under his jaw. This time, the Ryami blocked with its arms, grabbed Lufia, and tossed her across the field. She landed under a tree, hitting her head on the trunk. Then, the girl lost consciousness.

Teefa flew down to the ground, and set her wings behind her back. She whispered, "Now I am mad. You should never mess with me if you can't help it. You're going to pay for hurting my brother and friends." She then turned to Sky. "Sky! Come here! We've got to show this monster what it gets as payback."

Sky ran over to Teefa. The girl raised her hands, and let her magic spill out into Sky. The small creature began to grow until she was about the size of a five year old child. Her fur turned yellow, and her stripes were black. But her golden hair and eyes remained the same. As she continued to grow, she reached the size of a young teenager, with the same features. A white tube top and skirt appeared on Sky at that time. Amber wondered what was going to happen next, how else could Teefa change the tiger?

Her answer came soon. Teefa raised her hands higher into the air. "Power of light, power of life," chanted Teefa, "Bring our two powers together as one. Sylph! Kaze no Tora!" Suddenly, Sky's body began to turn into pure lightning, and walked over towards Teefa. As the two touched hands, a flash of light lit up the dark forest. When it cleared, she could see a new creature appear. It looked just like how Sky had before Teefa spoke, but now the hair was longer and she had on a long white robe with a golden scarf to act as a belt. But the biggest difference was the yellow wings, looking as if they were made out of lightning, that adorned her back. Amber was shocked, how in the world could a Magic User merge with a Partner?

"I am Sylph, the Child of Lightning. Come, and try to take me out you Demon!" the new creature spoke. The voice that came sounded not like Teefa's, but not like Sky's either. Rather, it was as if both of them were speaking at the same time, to form a distorted voice. A staff appeared in her hand, not exactly like the one she used when invoking the Orb of Lightning. Sylph raised it high above her head, and began to concentrate, drawing in as much power as she could muster in order to take on the attacking Mihan Demon.

Amber pleaded, "Teefa! Sky! Please be careful!" She could see that the Ryami was getting ready to charge, finally over its initial reaction to the strange changes in the girl and her Partner. But as the Ryami got close, it found resistance. A barrier of lightning was around the girl, protecting her from any attack.

She looked at the monster, a gleam of anger in her eyes. "Staff of Lightning!" Suddenly, all of the power in the shield vanished, added to the power she'd already gathered. Rushing at the Mihan Demon, the lightning found its mark easily. As the Ryami felt the sting of the lightning, trying to break free, Slyph struck at it with her claws. Unlike the Ryami, lightning floated in the blood of the merged form. Thus, it had no effect on the girl as she entered the shield, and struck the Mihan Demon in the jaw, killing it that instant.

After coaxing Rooks awake, as he was the least injured out of the group, the Partner went to work. He and Max had a special talent, the ability to heal wounds. So after fixing his fellow Partner up, they began to work together on the others. Max healed Lufia, while Rooks helped Donnie. Then, they checked on the relatively uninjured Amber, Alan, Teefa, and Sky. Looking at her Partner, Teefa smiled. She always knew she could rely on Rooks. Sometimes, she wondered if there was something more than that going on.

"What in the name of the Throne of Yord?!" a female voice exclaimed, "What kind of monster is that thing? And why is it attacking people, my daughter included?" In came a frantic Sophie, with Kagetsu close behind. Instantly, a smile lit up Amber's face, and she ran to embrace her parents, tears in her eyes.

"It's called a Ryami, and the smaller ones are Ryukami. They are Mihan Demons, who have been attacking the world non-stop for twenty years. Well, they've been around for millennia, but their constant attacks began after my mother killed their general. With no direction, they blindly strike out at our home, instead of looking for opportune moments to plan a large scale attack against it," explained Teefa. She looked to Amber's parents, and began to formulate a hypothesis. After all, her mom had showed her a picture once of Kagetsu, and Amber's story about her father was similar. To intelligent Teefa, there was no way it could be just a coincidence. Hopefully, there would be no hard feelings and no fights breaking out.

Kagetsu stated, "I thank you for protecting my daughter. My name is Kagetsu, a Neutralizer, and this is my wife, Sophie. We are just moving back to my old hometown, since our mountain home is getting hard to farm in." One by one, everyone introduced themselves. But when they got to Donnie, who was last and terrified for no good reason, Kagetsu felt faint. After all, Donnie looked exactly like Graham did.

Amber looked at Donnie, hearts in her eyes. "He's so cool Dad! He doesn't really use his magic, but he can turn his right arm into a whip, and constrict enemies with it. Isn't that so amazing?" That was the last thing needed. The color drained from his face, and Kagetsu fell down faint on the forest floor.

- - - -

**Teefa's**** Last Words…**

The fusion of Teefa & Sky is again based on that Arcana parody I did; that was the ultimate form that Rika and Toranmon could reach. Except that there weren't such cool special effects. And yeah, Donnie's the scardy cat. He would think only of his father's death before his mother saved him, and not look into the emotions and reasons behind it. Thus, Kagetsu scares him. Of course, not when they get to know each other.

**Kaze**** no Tora:** tiger of wind, wind tiger


	6. Old Friends Reunite

**Old Friends Reunite**

Kagetsu woke up in the bed in Tiara's house; it was closer than his own. Teefa had put a cold compress on his forehead, and was standing in the room with Amber and Lufia. Rooks and Max had taken Donnie into the kitchen, just so he wouldn't scare the guy again. Sophie was downstairs with the boys, nervous over her husband's condition, and Sky and Alan were sleeping. Amber wanted to help as best she could; she was able to Neutralize some of the energy that had risen in her father. You see, in addition to seeing Donnie and being surprised, some of the latent energy from the dead Mihan Demons still lit up the air. It had begun to cause him pain, so Amber had taken it away while Teefa and Lufia did their work. Although not having powers to heal wounds like their Partners, the girls knew a thing or two about first aid.

"Thank you," he said, "I just was in shock. That boy, he's your brother, right Teefa? Well, he resembles a man I knew a long time ago. He was the Partner of my girlfriend, but I killed him in a duel while she was performing in the Festival of Wind. I could not face her, so after awhile I went up into the mountains to think. There, I met Sophie and had Amber. Just seeing that face on another, I felt a ghost had risen up from the past. That man had the same power that Amber pointed out that young Donnie possesses." He purposely left out the whole reason the duel began, and how he'd been a fugitive for about a month. The Elder hadn't let the news get too widespread, Tiara and Lena being the only Magic Users told about it at all.

"You don't have to apologize, and you don't have to gloss the story over. I know exactly who you are, and you should know that everyone else forgave you long ago. Mom and Aunt Lena were all worried about how you never came home from the mountains; the only thing they knew was that you had some sort of big secret. So they told Aunt Sara that they had a secret too, since things really had happened to them while you were gone, hoping to spark your curiosity. Guess it just took a long time to work," Teefa replied.

Kagetsu exclaimed, "You're Tiara's daughter! What a coincidence, to run into you now. But you look nothing like your mother, nor does your brother." His suspicions were beginning to grow, and fear filled his heart. Could it be, that Graham had really come back? What would happen to Kagetsu when they met?

Teefa could sense his fear, wishing emotions were just as easy to Neutralize as Mihan Energy. "I know I don't look like Mom or Dad, I think I resemble some great aunt somewhere or other. And I wouldn't worry about a thing, like I said before, everyone here forgave you long ago. You should hear their story."

"Well then, I guess you should know something else," Lufia began, "Just as Teefa is Tiara's child, I am Lena's. Our parents went out to track some Mihan it seems, we'll explain all about it to you and Sophie in a little while. Believe me, they are not to be trifled with. I'd watch myself if I were you, we nearly died in that fight. Teefa's quick thinking is what saved all of our lives, that and her powers of merging with Sky."

"I thought I recognized that voice. Kagetsu, it's been a long time. And Teefa, you have a lot of explaining to do. You should know better than to go out in the middle of a blizzard. The first time you were out it was because you were caught unawares on the way home. But walking out like that, is suicide," Tiara's voice rang from the stairs. Lena was right behind her, both happy to see Kagetsu, and looking at her daughter in a scolding tone. Both girls looked to one another, and then at their mothers, dejected.

Lena said, "As long as you're ok, that's all that matters. But I want you to promise that you will stay inside until the storm passes. I know you girls have your Youth Alliance work, but this is not a child's game. You can handle the little battles around when its clear out, but no more Ryami on a stormy day."

Kagetsu looked at his childhood friends. "Well, it's good to see you again. Now you know why I didn't come home. I had found happiness with Sophie. Here, I was only reminded of the trouble I caused and how I couldn't save Sara from her fate. Whenever I looked at Tiara, I was filled with the regret I had for killing Graham, even in self defense. I only wish things could have turned out differently back then."

"I am not mad at you for the battle," Graham told Kagetsu as he was coming up the stairs, "I am more angry at how much Tiara suffered as a result. But since I was killed, Tiara was chosen to become the Divine Sorceress. For in order to gain that honor, you must lose a Partner to death. Then, along with your new Partner, you traverse the Land of the Dead to save the first one. Now Tiara is much stronger, and was even able to take on the leader of all the Mihan Demons, causing her to be able to live a normal life instead of the demanding one that the past Divine Sorceresses were put through." When Kagetsu saw him, he felt a lump appear in his throat. Remember, he killed this man over twenty years ago. But hearing his story, and knowing that his life wasn't in any danger from the sometimes emotionally unstable Partner calmed him. The last thing that Kagetsu needed was a third duel with Graham, since Graham knew what he could do.

Leon walked up the stairs silently, and Japolo ran up the banister. The girls, seeing that it was going to get real serious, went downstairs to be with Donnie and their Partners. Teefa looked at her mother and father, and smiled. Finally, they could straighten up all of the problems that had occurred between them and Amber's father. Then, perhaps everyone could become friends like they were many years ago.

Tiara explained the full story of the Divine Sorceress, how she was an ageless guardian who protected the world from the Mihan. How when the stronger Mihan troubled them, she would call on a successor, and try to kill the Demon. And if the beast was too much for her, she sacrificed her life to win. Then, she spoke of how she was to become successor to Sienna, the last Divine Sorceress who just happened to also be a distant ancestor of Tiara's via her only daughter. But following the death of the Mihan Demon General, Ryultima, the Mihan became nothing more than destruction seeking beasts with no direction. Thus, her and Lena joined the coalition to protect the Guardian World. Now, their daughters wanted to help, even if it killed them. Tiara was as strict as she could be, not wanting her daughter to get herself hurt, but trying times called for all the help they could get. Thus, Teefa and Lufia's Youth Alliance.

"I don't mind if Amber wants to help, as you said these are trying times. Especially since you said that Teefa and Lufia are forbidden from the really big missions. It seems strange though. You told me that the brand of demon they fought in the forest only likes dark caves. Could the snow have called it out?" inquired Kagetsu. Tiara's new powers made him think, perhaps everything had been for the best after all.

Japolo stated, "I told you before Tiara, I believe the Mihan have something to do with the snow. There is an increase in Demon activity since it began to fall, and even the Ryami are out in full force. I now know for certain, in my heart, that they have something to do with it, if not being the exact cause of it."

Lena looked to Tiara, and sighed. "Whatever the case, we have to do something. If it is the Mihan, we have to stop them. If not, we have to clear out the enemy anyway. But we should also remember to be careful. Perhaps we should go right away, and try to kill off as many of the enemy as we are able to."

- - - -

**Teefa's**** Last Words…**  
  
If you can't guess, there's gonna be trouble from this. Because my fics always equal trouble. Coming soon, Donnie _tries_ to cast magic to help. A little fluff between Teefa and Rooks, as well as Lufia and Max. I'm a romantic fool. But the romance isn't real developed at this point; more like crushes. However, the sequel will feature some more substantial stuff.


	7. Activation of the Orb

**Activation of the Orb**

"They are not going to leave us behind on this one," Teefa told her friends, "I know they plan to go out and eliminate the enemies in the fields. That's our territory, the ones running around and fighting in the open. Mom and the others only go out when there's a definite group, unless they run into one while going somewhere else. I hereby call the Youth Alliance to battle, to fight the Mihan Demons in our valley."

"Teefa! Mom told us to stay in the house, it was too dangerous out here with all of the snow. And the big Ryami are out in the open, not just the Ryaions and Ryukami. We should just stay here, wait for the adults to get rid of the Mihan," Donnie protested. But, as usual, his words fell on deaf ears. Teefa and Lufia never were ones to back down from a challenge. Donnie's sister was determined to be a great Princess, even if she had to take on the Mihan Army to prove her worth, and Lufia was a pyro through and through. If there was a chance to cause random destruction on her enemies, she'd take it. But it was Amber's resolve to go along that surprised him most, she didn't seem like the violent type. Her reasoning was that she had to defend her new home, and the people who'd she'd come to call "friends". The others followed the leads of their Princesses. Although Sky did caution Teefa that she'd better not get on Tiara's nerves; she was a lot like Japolo in the sense that she was willing to give her two cents in, even when Teefa'd never listen to it.

Rooks stated, "We should leave right away, my lady, before your mother's meeting upstairs with your father, Miss Lufia's parents, Miss Amber's parents, Japolo, and Alan lets out. If they find out we have intentions of sneaking out, then we will never be able to go." He grabbed his sword, and swung it in an arc.

Lufia looked to Max, and then to Teefa. "Well then, I guess we'll be going. I don't know about you, but I'm itching to give these beasts hell. All these years they've caused problems, killed innocents, and made our parents leave on extended trips to destroy the fighters. I went just batty staying with Sienna for weeks on end, her experiments in order to make her a mortal again were beginning to get to me. And she never had any kind of action for us to get into. This time, we will write our own story, with our own ending."

"You can count me in too, Miss Teefa," Max added, "I would never allow my lady to get herself into a battle like this one, without me around to protect her. By the sword I was granted when I arrived in the Guardian World a year ago, I will defend the honor of Lady Lufia with my very life if it comes down to that."

'And they say chivalry is dead. I guess Lu and I really were great in our ceremonies. We've got these total hunks, who are as kind as kind can be. What more can a girl ask for. Well, I'd rather have a disfigured guy like dad with a kind heart than a guy who looks like a super model who is always mean to me and others. But you can never go wrong when the person is both cute and very kind to you,' mused Teefa.

Amber exclaimed, "I'm definitely coming! I may be young, and not that experienced in the art of a Neutralizer, but I will do my best. Dad once told me that he did things in his life that he would later on feel regret, like the outcome of his duel in the cave of the Throne of Yord. I never want to feel like that, doing something that I regret, even if it is simply the matter of regretting that I couldn't do it a different way. And if something were to happen to my new friends, then I would feel regret for not being able to help them out."

Sky looked at Teefa with the same look Donnie gave. "Well, you can go if you want, I have to stay with you to keep you out of trouble. But don't say I didn't warn you about your mother getting mad if she finds out. Besides, I think I'm in the mood for a good battle about now. This time, just as my normal self."

"It's decided," Teefa told them, "We will go out together and kill the Mihan we find. Now then, take your warm coats again; this time Amber has her own and it fits much better than mine." Just for reference, Amber was about five foot six, while Teefa clocked in at about five foot one. So her coat had been only a little small. Donnie's wouldn't have been any better, he was still only five feet. Remember, the girls are all fifteen, and Donnie is only thirteen. Teefa, Lufia, and Amber wouldn't get much taller, but Donnie would.

S...S

Shortly after leaving the house, after making a scene to look like they were just hanging out in the basement under the trapdoor where the meeting room for the Youth Alliance was, they ran into a large pack of Ryaions. The lion like creatures with dragon wings were just looking for a few young Magic Users to take a bite out of. They thought nothing of the young children coming by, after all, they were small fries. These beasts had taken out some adult Shamans in the past, so how hard could a few youths like them be?

Teefa, not one to take chances, instantly brought out her orb and held it up to the light. So did Lufia and Amber. Simultaneously, the three chanted the secret words, and the orbs became weapons once more. Now, all they had to do was to kill the Ryaions with them. But the demons weren't phased at all.

"Kill them! We can't allow them to find someone who can't fight back," Teefa ordered her fellow Youth Alliance members. With that, she held the Staff of Lightning up into the air, and swung it down with the command "Inazuma" on her lips. Some of the Mihan were fried instantly. Lufia did the same thing with her Wand of Fire, while Amber and the two Partners swung their weapons in order to kill with blunt force.

But there were too many of them. Donnie knew he could very well turn the tide, if he only was able to use his magic. He knew, he had to try. So he chanted, "Let your power become mine, ancient shadows. Join with me to fight." Holding out his outstretched hand, he attempted to call a Shadowy Creature, his had taken the form of a lion. But nothing came, except the smoke that poofed before his outstretched hands.

The Mihan looked at the boy as nothing more than a nuisance. He was of no threat, it was better to kill the girls and the two swordsmen, and then deal with the weakling. But a few held a different opinion on what to do with the young Magic User. One tried to pounce on Donnie while he was still desperately trying to fire off his magic. Suddenly, it was knocked away by Sky, who had been transformed into her third body, the one that could merge with the transformed Teefa. The animal wrestled with the Ryaion, and killed it.

But while Sky was busy fighting, another tried to attack the youth. After all, it was bored; the other six were fighting its brethren. This time, no one was there to save Donnie, only he could rescue himself. Of course, feeling as scared as he was, he didn't think to release his whip arm. Suddenly, the Earth Orb began to glow in his hands, and created a barrier around him, knocking away the Ryaion. The words came to Donnie at once. "Energy of Earth and Sacred Orb, let your strength be my guide. Help me to fight, to become strong, and win. Chikyu!" Then, the orb began to change form, becoming a sword with the Earth Orb resting in the center of the hilt, just above the hand grasp. Donnie was in awe, he'd done it at long last.

- - - -

**Teefa's Last Words...**

Finally, Donnie did something right! We'll get a comment from the gang next time, as to why Teefa thinks her brother finally was able to do something about his own weaknesses.

**Chikyu:** earth (as in the planet)


	8. Death's Dance

**Death's Dance**

"All right Donnie!" cheered Teefa from across the battlefield, "You've finally done it. I guess all it took was a good scare to get you out of your shell." She chuckled a little bit, now she knew what to do if he didn't continue succeeding. All Teefa needed was to sneak up behind him, and frighten him a little. That would serve for now, train him until he could get it going without being afraid. Wouldn't Mother be happy?

Donnie ran up to Rooks and Max, and began hacking at the Mihan with his sword. Once in awhile he would also scream out the command, "Chikyu," and send a shockwave over the earth. That would knock the Mihan Demons off their feet, making them weaker. Finally, he could either run in for the kill, or turn his shockwave into a miniature sunder in the earth's surface. After swallowing the demons in, the crack closed.

With the power of the four orbs, two swordsmen, and one over excitable little electrically charged tiger, the Ryaions were soon killed. But then, a new type of Mihan Demon appeared. It was a large lion, with three heads. Only the head on the left was a dragon, the right was a wolf, and the center head was a lion. The Ryaimi Chimera, a powerful yet rare Mihan Demon, had shown itself. Tiara, in her twenty years of fighting them, had only seen one; from a distance on a battlefield. But it had eventually seen her and ran off. Perhaps this was one of the Divine Sorceress caliber enemies, who sensed her powers and wanted to wait.

"This one's gonna be a toughie. I've never seen such a beast in my life. But I can feel the energy radiating from the charm on the lion's forehead; it's obviously a power device. If we can smash that, then we can defeat the enemy," Amber calculated. She wasn't a Neutralizer for nothing; they had a sixth sense for energy. But the problem was, how in the name of the Throne of Yord could they destroy such a device?

Amber had tried to reach it with her spear, and was successful. But for whatever reason, she could not crack it with the brunt of her attack. Lufia tried burning it with her Takitsukeru spell, however the lion shook it off. If anything, the magic made it laugh. In a rage, she transformed into her Demon form. Even with the powerful claws she grew, Lufia couldn't even make a scratch. She was tossed back to the ground.

Max screamed, "Miss Lufia!!!!!!!!!!!!!" He ran over to his Princess, and tried to awaken her. As anger filled his soul, he saw Teefa and Sky getting into action. As Teefa chanted, she grew into her Demon form as well. At the same time, she cast the spell of merger on the already powered up Sky. Together, they became Slyph once more. However, even Slyph was thrown back, her magic unable to stand against it.

Teefa and Sky split into a Magic User and Partner. Donnie wanted to run to his sister, but he saw Rooks was already by her side, casting a healing spell. Realizing his sword and the magic of the orb was useless, the boy tried using his whip arm to constrain the Ryaimi. Of course, unlike his father, Donnie did not have the strength on his arms to hold three very excitable heads at once. He too was thrown down.

After healing the wounds on their Princesses, Rooks and Max stood up to fight. Holding up a card, Rooks called upon a strange spirit that appeared to resemble a fiery dragon. While the Mihan Demon took a fire bath, Max sneaked up from behind to attack with his sword. Although well planned out, the strategy had one flaw. From the gem on the lion's head came a barrier, to keep the magic from hitting it. At the same time, the other two heads were able to work together. At once, the dragon and wolf bit Max, and when the fire died down they struck Rooks as well. Both Partners were down, unconscious on the ground.

Amber was terrified, thoughts running through her mind at once. 'I'm the only one left, and all I have is the orb. That didn't help at all. I'm not fully trained as a Neutralizer. This looks like the end for us, I only wish I could have told my parents that I loved them one more time. I hope they're both happy in the future.' As she sat there in shock, a single tear slid down the girl's pale cheek; and onto the cold, snowy ground.

Suddenly, the Mihan Demon began to shriek in pain. Amber's aura was rising up, and she felt a new power entering her body. Somehow, her Neutralizer's abilities had activated when she cried, and they were in complete control. The girl had been afraid to use them when multiple magical targets were around, worrying she'd hit the wrong one. For when a Neutralizer uses his or her powers, they must focus on the energy in the area. That can drain one or more targets, mattering the mood. Amber had feared draining all of the energy in the three Partners on accident, she didn't want a repeat of her father and Teefa's parents.

Amber began to concentrate, and found the strength and magic of the Ryaimi filling her up. She found out that the beast had three abilities, specific to each head. The dragon had firebreath, the wolf had darkbreath, and the lion had his barriers. Darkness would do little good against a beast rotten through and through, but the fire might help. So she began to concentrate, and suddenly a lash of fire blew out of her mouth and scorched the entire Mihan. Both the lion and wolf were badly injured, and the dragon mildly hurt.

"Mizu!" she screamed, "And another Mizu!" Water and Fire were polar opposites, thus the dragon took more damage. Without his energy, the Mihan couldn't guard. Amber grabbed the spear again, and struck out at the gem on the lion's head. Filled with demon energy inside of her, Amber cracked the jewel.

The second it shattered, the Ryaimi Chimera screamed in pain. Suddenly, he began to convulse, and exploded right in front of them. Almost instantly the snow stopped, the sun came out, and warm air was felt on Amber's face. She smiled as she looked at it, now she felt much better. Japolo had been right about the Mihan making it snow. Probably, being as directionless and stupid as they were, the Ryaimi hadn't thought to use this ability earlier. If anything, the creature accidentally found out about its abilities.

As she sat their, staring at the clear blue sky, Amber felt fatigue come over her. With a small smile, and a weary sigh, the girl fainted. After all, she did use up all of the energy she'd taken from the Mihan to kill it in one blow. She landed on the ground next to Donnie, laying in a peaceful dreamworld.

- - - -

**Teefa's Last Words...**

And here lies the proof that this isn't a Mary Sue. Teefa didn't steal the heart of one of the male leads, she has her weaknesses as much as the next person, and the only reason she has that name is my love of old time RPGs. Everyone needs to get a chance to kill something except for Donnie and Lufia. That's only becauseDonnie's extremely inexperienced, and clumsy. And a pyro usually gets kicked around; Leena Toros from Zoids is a glaring example here.

**Ryaimi:** combination of Ryu (dragon), Raion (lion), and Okami (wolf).


	9. Healing Wounds

**Healing Wounds**

This time, Amber awoke on a pallet on Teefa's floor. Teefa too was lying on a mat, while the more seriously injured Lufia was on the bed. She bet - - correctly as it would later turn out - - that the boys were all in Donnie's room. Her mother, Lena, and Tiara were standing there, extremely worried about their current state. But the second Amber began to sit up, Sophie's eyes were filled with joy she'd never known before.

"Thank the Throne of Yord!" the woman exclaimed, "You're alive Amber! I was so worried when we found you all passed out and injured. But now, now that you're ok, I feel so much better." She cried tears of joy, weeping into the handkerchief that Tiara had lent her. Sophie realized that scolding her daughter for running off to fight the Mihan wasn't appropriate at the moment. After all, the girl was getting over a bad case of exhaustion. But once she had fully recovered, they could have a nice long talk about what went on.

However, Tiara was less forgiving than Sophie. "I can't believe you deliberately disobeyed me Teefa! You were supposed to stay inside when the Mihan were out in force, not go and hunt them down. And not only did you go out without my permission, but you took your brother and friends along for the ride as well. I'll talk it over with your father later, so we can decide how to punish you two," she scolded when the young girl had woken up. Teefa was used to it, she had little regard for rules and regulations. That had gotten her in trouble before, sneaking off to do battle in the night when she should have been sleeping in her bed.

When Lufia woke up, Lena said, "I hope you know how much we worried about you. Please,, don't do that again Young Lady. Your father and I haven't quite worked out your punishment yet, but we will speak about it after you tell us the full story. No matter what happened, you still have to pay for ignoring us and going out there. After all, if we didn't use discipline on you, what would happen when you're out on your own? The Elder isn't as forgiving as myself and your father." She mentally swept under the rug about how the group had gotten off lightly after the Throne of Yord incident. That was a strange exception to the rule.

Of course, Teefa hadn't forgotten about that story. "But when Amber's dad stole the Throne of Yord he didn't get in too much trouble. He was allowed to see his sister with guards around, and could live out his life the way he wanted. How much of a plea deal was worked out between them with that incident?"

"That was an exception," Tiara informed her daughter, "Because of our antics, the Throne of Yord gained new strength, because Sara was able to take control of the will of the painting. Thus, our home is now better protected than it was before. So it was almost like we had intentionally done such a thing, on the Elder's orders. Let people think it was something like that, and his standing with our people goes up."

"We killed a Ryaimi Chimera. What else could we do that would increase world security?" Lufia questioned. Yup, she was a pyro through and through. Not only in her words, but in her temper as well.

S...S

As the worst hurt, Donnie was allowed to sleep in his own bed. Meanwhile, the two Partners were on the floor in the young man's room. Graham, Kagetsu, and Leon were all watching over them; with Leon keeping the other two apart. Although they'd put aside their differences, and could maintain a working relationship, they still didn't get along too well. Graham was mad about how Kagetsu had treated Tiara in the past. At the same time, Kagetsu was mad at Graham for trying to stop him from saving Sara. He didn't even help after hearing it, unlike Tiara who was torn once the information reached her ears. If Graham had told him to wait for Tiara, that she might have an idea as to how to help, he wouldn't have had to kill him.

Leon and Graham had no intentions of punishing Rooks and Max; that was their daughters' jobs. Besides, the two had only done what they would have done in that place; help their Princess to fight against the Mihan Demons. If it had been Tiara saying they needed to go whether the others liked it or not, Graham would have been the first out the door, bloodlust in his eyes and a hunger filling his soul like a cheeseburger.

Donnie asked, "Is it morning already? I feel like a ton of bricks hit me." He looked up to his father and the other men, and smiled. Then, the already tired boy fell back asleep. It was luck that saved the young man's life; that and a little intelligence. Learning the young men could heal wounds, Kagetsu had borrowed Rooks and Max's abilities for a short time to take care of all the accumulated injuries. Luckily, the only wounds they suffered were physical. No harm had come to their energy reserves in that terrible battle.

S...S

They all rested for that day, and the next. Once the whole group recovered, Kagetsu and Sophie took Amber home. Lena and Leon also helped Lufia and Max return to their place. Teefa, Donnie, Rooks, and Sky were fine where they were; after all it was their house. Time to accept their punishments.

The adults mutually decided on grounding the kids for a week; which was how long the doctor said they should remain in bed. Once that was over, they were forbidden to go on any hunts for another month. That wouldn't stop them from practicing, but they would be forced to keep out of trouble at all times. To ensure that none of them stepped out of bounds, Alan and Japolo would be following them everywhere they went. That made Teefa and Lufia groan, Japolo never let anyone have any fun when he was babysitting.

But surprisingly, the month passed by quickly. When it ended, they were all out hunting the stray Mihan Demons again. By this time, Teefa had fully ordained Donnie and Amber as members of the Youth Alliance. The only person missing was Donnie's Partner, but he wasn't yet ready to attempt a Summoning just yet. Although able to control the orb, his regular magic still fizzled. In the event he called on a Shadow Demon, it would often go out of control. Thus, Teefa continued to train him by using that scare tactic again.

She would look at him with a stern look on her face when he complained about this. "You need to call upon a Shadow to protect yourself. If this is the only way to do this, then I will continue. When you no longer have problems, I will stop. Heck, at least you can summon the Sword of Earth without me doing it."

"Yeah right Teefa," he'd mutter back, "I think you enjoy this." That led to an argument, and Lufia had to get into the middle in order to stop it. Amber let out a small giggle as she watched. Even though she'd moved to a new home, and had to adjust to a new life, she'd found some irreplaceable friends. They were fun to be around, willing to do anything for one another, and were trying their best to accomplish a goal. Working together, they made miracles come true.

- - - -

**Teefa's Last Words...**

Ok, I've got a few things that need clearing up; and some people I've gotta mention since I borrowed ideas from them. Teefa and Lufia's tiger bodies are based on the Woren Clan from Breath of Fire, while the wings on Teefa are from the Winged Clan from the same. Sky's forms arebased onthat of an original Digimon;created for a crazy x-over fic. Here they are broken up into a nutshell. . .

**Tora:** based on her Rookie form, Toranmon. Tora is tiger in Japanese. The form she usually uses.

**Katt:** based on her Champion form, Kattmon. Katt was a Woren in Breath of Fire II. The one looking like a small child.

**Rei:** based on her Ultimate form, Reimon. Rei was a Woren in Breath of Fire III, the word also means zero in Japanese. This is the form she needs to be in to merge.

**Slyph:** based on her Bio-Merge Mega, Slyphmon. Slyph was the Wind Spirit in Arcana, as well as other places. This is hers and Teefa's merged form. Normally, with a Digivice, Skysplitter here can be in any form. But since they use magic instead, she has to be Rei in order to transform.

More little disclaimer ideas. The scare tactics is a joke based on Tamora Pierce's "Circle of Magic" quartet. Didn't realize that until later on. One of the characters, the weather manipulater named Tris, only uses her full power when afraid. She later is able to control it much better. Well, that's enough for gags. Until next fanfic...


End file.
